Back to the Basics

In the movie Hoosiers, the new basketball coach of Milan High School has some interesting strategies.  The first few days of practice Coach Dale (Gene Hackman) has his players practice without the ball.  This is strange if you think about it and it even looks funny in the movie as players run around without the main object needed to play the game.

After Coach Dale feels like the players have that down, he allows them to use the ball but does not allow them to shoot.  Again, this seems a little odd as the goal of basketball is to put the ball in the basket more than the other team.  

Although his tactics were uncommon, Coach Dale simply believed in developing strong fundamentals.

There are some restaurants that have a unique philosophy when to comes to training their staff.  Everyone that works there must begin by bussing tables.  Cooks, hosts, servers, and managers all start by cleaning tables and washing dishes.  

Upper Management believes this approach gives all staff a better understanding of how the restaurant works, increasing communication, teamwork and a sense of pride.

As a new Dad, I've noticed that God's coaching tactics and management are similar when it comes to parenting.  Our sons and daughters all arrive with the same basic needs of food, shelter, love and diaper changing.  They come into the world with crying as their only form of communication and although one could argue, it takes a while for them to be able to express love back.

It's as if God developed this system to reinforce what he wants from us in the world.  If only we would clue in and go back to the basics of whole heartedly serving others and expecting nothing in return. When we get that down, we can then build on that foundation and learn some new skills or take on a new role.  

I don't know about you, but I have some more practicing to do.